In U.S. Pat. No. 3,882,653, there is disclosed prefabricated panels which comprise spaced sheets of relatively thin material and a plurality of longitudinally extending parallel trusses to which the sheets are fastened. Such panels are utilized on a framework of steel columns and horizontal beams to provide external or internal walls. In buildings, it is common to make one building portion in such a manner for manufacturing and warehousing and add another portion of the building such as an office portion having masonry walls. The masonry walls, whether they be load bearing or erected together with steel columns and horizontal beams, necessitate delays to the closing-in process of the overall building so that work cannot proceed to completion within the first portion until the other portion is closed in. Another problem with respect to such masonry construction is that window openings are not usually accurately formed and as in the practice, the openings are measured before the window, frames and panes can be made and inserted which causes further delay in closing-in the building.
Among the objectives of the present invention are to provide a building construction for industrial, commercial or similar buildings utilizing prefabricated panels of the type set forth in the aforementioned patent which can be utilized as load bearing walls to support horizontal joists, trusses or prefabricated roof panels thereby obviating the need for columns and horizontal beams to support the joists, trusses or prefabricated roof panels.
In accordance with the invention, a building construction for industrial, commercial or similar buildings comprising at least one wall made of a plurality of prefabricated panels, each of which comprises two transversely spaced trusses to which spaced sheets are fastened. The panels are assembled on a base wall in side-by-side relationship with the transversely outermost truss of each panel closely adjacent and preferably in abutment with the adjacent outwardly positioned truss of the adjacent panel. A load plate is provided at each of the areas of juncture between panels. Joists, trusses or prefabricated roof panels extend horizontally from the load plates to provide a ceiling or roof structure. The panels comprise a pair of abutting trusses along each side edge of each panel. In another form, each panel includes a pair of trusses adjacent the transverse mid-point which are closely adjacent and preferably in abutting relationship with a load bearing plate at the transverse midpoint.